LeBron James: Perfectly Positioned To Win 5th MVP

Breaking: LeBron James is officially chasing ghosts.  But, to legitimately make a case against the GOAT, he has to take advantage of the season that lies ahead.

The LeBron James naysayers have been awfully quiet lately.

Then again, what more can they say?

In defeating the once-invincible Golden State Warriors, and to do so while overcoming a 3-1 deficit no less, James cemented his legacy by bringing a championship to “the Land” (I’m still skeptical if that’s a thing) and the long-suffering Cleveland Cavaliers franchise.

He’s not clutch? Check his game-saving Game 7 block.

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He shrinks on the big stage? Check the man’s Finals stats (where he just so happened to lead both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks for the second consecutive year).

Hearing him in interviews this summer, there is a newfound calmness and aura of confidence surrounding the King.  He knows he is on the precipice of being untouchable.

So much so, that he issued a metaphoric challenge to the untouchable, in going after Michael Jordan’s stranglehold on basketball’s GOAT crown.

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But, as Omar of The Wire once so eloquently said, “You come at the King, you best not miss”. LeBron may have just opened a can of cross-era debate that his resume cannot cash.

As great as James is, and as much he has accomplished (three-time champion, three-time Finals MVP, four-time League MVP, six straight Finals appearances, etc.), Jordan’s legacy is nearly unblemished — it’s storybook.

Six championships, undefeated in the Finals, 10-time scoring champ, five-time MVP, one of only three guards in NBA history to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, stayed true to the franchise that drafted him (I like to erase the Wizards years away from my memory bank) … I can go on and on.

The point is: once Scottie Pippen developed into an All-Star and his supporting cast began to mature, MJ became immortal.

You can’t say that about LeBron.

Yes, most would give the ’07 Finals sweep a pass, but his disappearing act in the 2011 Finals will forever be tethered to any GOAT conversation he is mentioned in.

Not to mention, in the 2014 Finals — while outmanned playing alongside a hobbled Dwyane Wade — he lost to a team comparable in the talent department and his direct counterpart at the Small Forward position (Kawhi Leonard) captured the Finals MVP at his expense.

There is no going back in time to erase those events.  James’ checkered history will be exactly that: checkered.

However, there is also something endearing about watching a childhood prodigy grow and mature right before the public’s eye, and conquer his greatest psychological fears, just to emerge as “the ultimate warrior.”

His career may not go down as storybook, but his sheer longevity can potentially build a sensible case against MJ — who played only 12 healthy seasons in his prime — down the line.

This is why next season will be a pivotal one for the Chosen One.  At age 31 (turning 32 in December), this may be LeBron’s last chance to win another MVP award.

With Kevin Durant joining the Warriors, similar to how voters were turned off to James in 2011 when he joined the Miami Heat, both KD and Stephen Curry (the MVPs from the last three seasons) are most likely out of the MVP conversation — at least for next season.

Russell Westbrook may be the odds-on favorite to win the award and barring injury, he is going to put up some insane, Oscar Robertson-like numbers; however, the Oklahoma City Thunder, as currently constituted, are not a 50-win plus team.

The same goes for Anthony Davis. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns is probably still two years away from truly contending for the league’s best title.

That leaves guys like James Harden, Paul George and Chris Paul, all of whom, as great as they are, will not have the same type of two-way impact as a “on regular-season cruise control” James.

Winning his fifth MVP will catapult LeBron into elite stratosphere — one off of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s record of six and tying him with the likes of Jordan and Bill Russell.

As a true historian of the game and as someone who has outwardly expressed his GOAT aspirations, I am sure LeBron James understands what a an additional MVP and another historical take down of the Super Warriors can do to cement his legacy.

Moreover, as history has shown, LBJ is at his best when playing with joy and pressure-free.

We’ve seen how his jumper deserts him whenever he presses (see: last season and 2013 Finals), and how his jumper resurfaces when he plays care-free (see: Heat’s winning streak during the 2012-13 season and LeBron in 2005-06).

A mature LeBron with a consistent J will be a scary sight, even if he has lost half a step.

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The chase to become the greatest of all-time is officially on, but for LeBron James to legitimately contend for the title, he must make his boldest statement yet next season.